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Event
Burying Our Father: A Biblical Debacle
Isaac and Ishmael meet to bury their father Abraham in the cave that has become one of the most revered and violently contested holy sites in history. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim versions of this ancient story interweave and collide, as Fred and Laura perform all the roles in an outrageous, multimedia mix-up of drama, comedy, music, dance, and light and shadow magic.
Separated at an early age, the half-brothers do not recognize each other. Isaac (whose mother is Sarah) knows a family history that will be written in The Bible and Jewish commentary, while Ishmael (whose mother is Sarah's handmaiden Hagar) knows the stories as they will appear in The Koran and Muslim tradition. Each assumes that God has chosen him and his descendants to inherit the "Promised Land." Together at the cave, they sort through their conflicting versions of the same events, seeking to discover what is real.
Burying Our Father: A Biblical Debacle, is an irreverent, hilarious exploration of the similarities and differences between the Abrahamic religions and the impact of these beliefs on the lives of individuals, on family, society, and history.
---Bios---
Fred Curchack has created seventy-seven original theatre pieces (fifty ensemble works and twenty-seven solos). His award-winning performances have been featured at dozens of international theatre festivals. Last year, he received a special award from the Dallas/Fort Worth Theater Critics Forum "for being a Renaissance theater artist." After attending The High School of Performing Arts and Queens College, Curchack studied Indian Kathakali, Japanese Noh, Balinese Topeng, choreography with Alwin Nikolais, and he trained with Grotowski's Polish Theater Lab. He is currently Professor of Art and Performance at The University of Texas at Dallas.
Laura Jorgensen was a founding member of Western Union Theater Company at Cinnabar Theater. While living in Budapest, she acted and directed with The English Theater Company. Some favorite roles include: Jim Geoghan's Light Sensitive, Samuel Beckett's Endgame, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women, Sam Shepard's Lie of the Mind, Terrence McNally's A Perfect Ganesh, G.B. Shaw's Heartbreak House, Alan Bennett's Talking Heads, Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca, Oscar Wilde's The Ideal Husband, Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House, John O'Keefe's Glamour (premiere) and Queer Theory (premiere), and Eric Overmeyer's On the Verge, and ten collaborations with Fred.
---Reviews of Fred and Laura's other recent shows---
"Genius Brilliant five masterpieces, all brilliantly performed, in less than 90 minutes. Great depth and great delicacy you'll find them both in this one."
-- Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News
"Genius astonishing leaves you weak with laughter This is theater as sacred art The work of Curchack and Jorgensen is humbling, both for the long discipline it shows and the spiritual mastery it implies."
-- Glenn Arberry, Park Cities People
"Incredibly, these two amazing performers draw us in to another world in minutes, and 90 minutes later release us to the ordinary universe. I wanted to stay -- and so will you. Theatre doesn't actually offer a more totally cathartic experience than this, even in the most lavish of productions."
-- Martha Heimberg, Turtle Creek News
"Spellbinding, elegant, heart wrenching, a tour de force the production sped by so fast I wasn't sure if I dreamed it all. It's magnificent and pure magic! Curchack and Jorgensen are both masters of their craft, creating art that captivates its audience and illuminates truth."
-- Alexandra Bonifield, Pegasus News
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LocationMain Stage West (View)
104 North Main Street
Sebastopol, CA 95472
United States
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